Saturday, March 28, 2009

Spider-Man's Next Opponents? Theater Critics

The New York Post joined theater insiders for an early glimpse at Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, a $40 million Broadway production slated to open at the Hilton Theatre in January of next year. Directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King) with music by U2’s Bono and The Edge, the Marvel Comics rock musical is said to combine Cirque du Soleil acrobatics, 3D projections and massive sets.

According to the Post, the story will center on Peter Parker who, as Spider-Man, will battle comic book villains such as the Green Goblin, Carnage, Electro, Rhino, Swarm and the Lizard. As if the show wasn’t crowded enough, Spidey will contend with new villain Swiss Miss, with a costume that “consists of rotating knives and swirling corkscrews," writes Michael Riedel. Blech.

Speaking as a longtime Spider-Man fan, everything about this show—from the title to its dubious new villain—sounds kind of lame. However, it could work, and I’m curious to see how this project turns out. At least Taymor seems to be approaching this adaptation with the right mindset, assuring us that Spider-Man “is not going to sing and dance in tights.”

After Spider-Man 3, it’s not like things can get much worse for this character, can they?

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About the Author

I'm a writer who openly admits that he enjoys the clicking of his own keyboard. On this blog you'll find pseudo-coherent ramblings about comic books, movies, video games, action figures and other frivolous things we all take way too seriously. Also, coffee.